The Way We were
by Mrs.Elmo
Summary: Marissa and Summer aren't friends anymore. In fact, they're enemies. Why? What's happened? Find out by reading.(yeh, I know that's kind of obvious) Chapter 3 up now! Please r&r.
1. Default Chapter

**Disclaimer:** I dont own any of these characters. I just wish I did.

**A/N:** This is my first fanfic, so any tips would be appreciated. Please review and tell me what you think. Also, if anybody has any suggestions for a name for this story, I would love to hear them. Thankyou, and enjoy the drama.

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**Chapter 1**

Every day, Harbor School corridors are busy with chatty teenagers and irate teachers, and today was no exception. But the talk died down when everybody noticed to people at opposite ends of the corridor. Because this was definitely going to be interesting.

The figures walked together, the two sides ready to meet, the bystanders bracing themselves for impact.

"Marissa."

"Summer."

A long pause followed. Everything was still, and the two were staring each other off.

"Yes, and I'm Seth. I'm so glad we've all met, but umm, we've actually got to get my book out of Summer's locker, so as much as I'm enjoying this conversation, we might have to cut it a little short."

The two didn't move.

"Okay, so umm... I might just go then."

Seth walked backwards for a few steps before turning and sprinting to the other end of the corridor. Watched by the rest of the Harbor school population.

"So Summer...what are you doing here?"

"Well _Marissa_, you may have forgotten, but I go to school here too, and last I checked my locker is also right here."

The crowd oohed as they heard Marissa get torn down off her pedestal. Marissa had a look of disgust on her made-up face as she came back down to earth.

"What are you all looking at? There's nothing to see here, just – get lost!" She shouted at the gathered crowd, before turning on her heel and walking out the door.

The silence was broken by a single laugh, and gradually whispers grouped together, and soon enough the hallway was back to normal.

Summer heard clapping. She turned and saw Seth striding up behind her.

"Wow, that was – impressive. I can see that I have taught you well."

"What Cohen?"

"In all of the years of my knowing you, I have never heard you use sarcasm that well. Obviously, my learn-ed wit has rubbed off onto you."

"Yeah, sure Cohen. How did you hear that anyway? You ran away."

"I was uh... guarding the hallway doors. You know, in case the one with the shiny, shiny legs called for reinforcements."

"I'm sure. Why are you looking at her legs anyway?"

Seth looked down and shook his head. "I just can't win with you."

She turned and fumbled with her keys, trying to find the right one to go in her locker. After trying a few with no luck, she found that it was getting difficult to see. Everything was blurry, and she realised that it was because she was crying. She sat down on the hard floor and put her face in her hands. She heard Seth sliding down beside her and felt his arms embrace her. She limply fell into his arms and poured her tears out.

"Don't let her get to you like this Sum..." Seth whispered into her ear. "She's not worth it."

Summer stopped crying long enough to whisper back "But...I miss her."

She started crying again, and the two sat there until long after everybody was gone.

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	2. Chapter 2

Wow, thanks so much guys, I'll try and put all of your suggestions to use in this chapter. Again, please review, because otherwise Ill have no idea what I'm doing wrong (specifically, not just all of it.) Big shout-out to alexis, the flashbacks are coming in this chapter (They're in italics). And to SweGuy, Ryan is coming into the story – if it's not in this chapter, then definitely the next.

Oh yeah, the disclaimer from last time still applies. I mean, it's pretty obvious that I don't own the OC, otherwise, why would I be writing here?

Tears dripped down Summer's cheeks as she flicked through the photos of her and Marissa. From being little kids, off to school camp with each other in primary school, to their school musical being the princesses, to their first double date, to them sunbaking on the beach. But all of the photos had one thing in common - in all of the photos, there was no doubt that Summer and Marissa were best friends.

"I wish we still were..." Summer murmured quietly to herself.

The pair walked along in silence. The sky was growing darker, but the two didn't want to leave. Marissa looked over to her left, where he was standing. She really did like him...but she wasn't sure if it was love. But if it wasn't, why was she here, now?

"What's up?" He asked.

"Nothing." She said, as she pulled him out of the shadows to stare into his eyes. His deep, blue eyes. She decided that it must be love, because otherwise, why would she be cheating on Ryan?

Above the pier, was Summer's balcony. She was outside, on the phone to Seth as she looked down to see the unmistakable figure of Marissa. She was holding hands with somebody hidden by the shadows, and Summer assumed that it was Ryan. Summer wondered why they were there – nobody really came to this pier, and Ryan & Marissa had certainly never come here before. Just then, the guy stepped out of the darkness and the remaining sunlight shone on his face. Summer gasped – that wasn't Ryan! She thought that there must be a mistake – the two mustn't be a couple. But then, Summer's worst fears were confirmed, as Marissa pulled the guy into a kiss. Summer dropped the phone and walked over to the railing. She didn't even hear Seth calling her name through the phone as she watched the two, desperately trying to think of some other explanation for what was happening. But even she knew there was none.

Summer went to ring the doorbell of Jimmy Cooper's house the next morning. He opened the door on his way out, and told Summer that Marissa was in her room. She walked into the hallway and took a deep breath. Her footsteps echoed on the tiled floors.

"Dad? Is that you?" Marissa yelled as she walked into the room.

"Oh Summer, hey! What are you doing here?"

"Umm...Marissa, I have to talk to you about something."

Marissa didn't like the serious look of her friends face.

"Uhh, sure...sit."

Summer and Marissa sat on the couches. Summer took a breath and closed her eyes for a second.

"Marissa – I saw you last night...on the pier...with...a guy...who wasn't Ryan."She said slowly.

Marissa looked shocked.

"How dare you think that I would cheat on Ryan! Why were you stalking me?! How can you accuse me of this!" Her voice rose with every sentence.

"Marissa, I know what I saw! What do you think you're doing? I thought you loved Ryan?"

Marissa stood up and yelled at Summer.

"You're lying! If you think that then, then...you must be cheating on Seth!"

Summer was absolutely shocked. "What?!? That doesn't make any sense – just because you cheated on your boyfriend, that doesn't mean I cheated on mine!"

"Of course it does! I mean, you're a bigger slut than me, so you will cheat before I will!"

"I can't believe you! How can you say that! How can you even think that! I thought we were best friends – but, obviously not if you think that about me."

Summer turned and ran out of the room, determined not to let Marissa let her see her crying over this.


	3. Chapter Three

_Usual disclaimer applies._

_**A/N:** OK guys, this chapter is kind of...fluffy. The next update probably wont be for a while, so read this really slowly so it will last. Cheers to all my wonderful reviewers_, _and to all the new readers, please review and tell me what you think. (feel free to add how proud you are of me because I updated so quickly.) And thanks to Young Republican, who gave me the idea for the title._

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Twenty three...twenty four...twenty five...

Ryan counted as he did sit ups on the pool house floor. He did them whenever he was bored. Or whenever he wanted time to himself to think.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Seth asked "Ryan are you decent?"

Ryan stood up and yelled back that he was.

Seth came in the door. "It's just that I've made that mistake before, and its not really and experience that I want to repeat."

Ryan rolled his as he turned around to walk to his bed. "What's up Seth?"

The two sat down on Ryan's king sized bed, and Seth said "Well, you know, nothing much, except that...umm, oh yeah my girlfriend and your ex-girlfriend got into a bitch fight today."

Ryan looked astounded. "What! Where? Why? How?"

"Slow down man, I'm only one man...although that's what Clarke Kent thought before he became Superman..."

Ryan interrupted "Seth! You're rambling again. Just tell me what happened."

"Well, Summer and I were walking down to her locker, because I had to get my maths textbook out of there, because mine was broken when I was err...thrown into it...apparently I don't fit as well as I did in the third grade."

Seth looked over to Ryan who was giving him a stare that suggested that he get on with it or Seth might find himself being thrown into the cupboard this time.

"Okay, so that doesn't matter, but when we walked in, there was Marissa herself getting books out of her locker, which is right next to Summers. So, the entire hallway went quiet, and Marissa saw Summer. So, there was like, a stare-off Ryan, they were just giving each other the evil eye from opposite sides of the hallway. Then they walked together, and said like two sentences to each other, and then Summer bagged Marissa, and then she got really angry and yelled at everyone to stop staring at them, and then she walked off!" Seth stopped the story there. He knew Summer wouldn't want everyone to know that she was crying over Marissa, especially Ryan.

Ryan went silent for a moment. "So, there was no violence?"

Seth said, "No, of course not, this is Summer and Marissa we're talking about."

"That's good. But still, that's pretty amazing."

"I know. And, it was so scary, I mean, I thought the doors I was standing behind would fall on me with the tension in the room."

"Seth, that doesn't make any sense."

"Okay, so maybe I was just being a little paranoid."

"No, didn't you say you came in with Summer? What were you doing behind the doors?"

Seth's face didn't move. Suddenly he got up and started saying, "Yeh mum, I'm coming, sorry Ryan but Mum's calling me, I've got to go!"

Seth attempted to open the pool house doors, but couldn't. "Ryan, do you realise that these doors are a fire hazard? We'll have to get Dad to fix them. Wooh, I'm beginning to feel a little claustrophobia coming on."

Ryan just ignored him and said, "You ran away! How could you run away Seth?"

Seth looked defeated and leant on the door. "Ryan, Summer is stronger than she looks! She could hurt me if she got into one of her rage blackouts! And Marissa – well, she wears really pointy shoes, and if she threw one, it could stab me and I could die!"

Ryan shook his head. "Seth...sometimes you amaze me." He got up and opened the door.

Seth breathed in deeply. "Ahh, that's better. Wide open spaces Seth, just keep thinking of the wide, open spaces." Then, with a sheepish look towards Ryan, he ran back into the house.

Ryan waddled back to his bed. He couldn't help feeling responsible for Marissa and Summer's fighting. Even though he wasn't the one who cheated, if he hadn't been involved with Marissa, none of this would've happened. He layed back down on his bed, and didn't even realise when he fell asleep. Everything he had to do could wait until the morning...


End file.
